A Mage Walks Into A Bookstore
by Ahn-Li Steffraini
Summary: Was supposed to be a short humorous piece about Raistlin, but Blue Star muse bit too. Raistlin decides he needs a day away from the Tower and goes shopping. Can't get any fluffier than that, except he finds an old travel journal by an old friend...


Dragonlance:  
A Mage Walks Into a Book Store...

Fan Fiction by Ahn-Li

**Author's Note**: Hey, another Dragonlance fic that's Blue Star related (but only marginally), but the plot bunny bit and I had to write it...

**Summary**: What does the title say? A mage walks into a book store! Only, the mage is Raistlin and the book store is not magical. It had been originally intended as a short humorous piece, but got a little angsty in the end.

**Rating**: G (Wow, there's a first!)

* * *

It wasn't every day he was so bored that he had to find something to amuse himself. Not that the magic was ever boring, but after awhile even he needed a break from studying, experimenting, and more studying. Considering he didn't like to play cards, or gamble with bones (bones having a much more useful use to him than gambling), nor did he have the physical prowess to play any interesting sports although a well played game of badminton was known to entertain him until he ran himself out of breath.

Not to mention that said game also amused him when he had Dalamar running around the other side of the net after the birdie like a mad squirrel without much exertion on his own part. He had always done the same to Caramon. Badminton, while still a relatively physical sport, was still a game for thinkers and strategizers since the more experienced players could stay in one spot, never really having to move one step too quickly, or too far, while making their opponents run themselves into the ground by making the birdie go where ever they wanted it to go and the opponent, in their inexperience, making the birdie come right back...

Of course, when Dalamar, who, he could freely admit, had figured this out and had begun to play the same strategy, he had also begun to win more games. And while this presented the first real challenge in years... Raistlin Majere had found that he couldn't run around to keep up even as he caused the birdie to make Dalamar run around as much.

Finally, Dalamar had begun to win more often and Raistlin had to admit defeat, unable to keep up with the running for more than five minutes. Dalamar still practiced when not studying or experimenting with the magic. Then again, considering badminton was an noble elven game Dalamar probably found it ironic that he would have to learn from a sickly human man.

Raistlin sighed. It would figure that the game that had previously been his best game was now someone else's.

But that musing had not currently solved his current problem of boredom. He leaned back in one of the well upholstered chairs in front of the fire in his study, staring at all the books on the three shelves. A good half of the shelves in this room was empty and gathering dust. What books there were was only spell books, and as much as he loved his magic his mind had reached a point where he wanted to sit and read something with a more entertaining bend than learning of magic. He could have gone to the Great Library and read there, and that would have solved his boredom, but he could not keep the books.

_By the Gods of Magic_, he thought ruefully. _I'm thinking of shopping_. _Have I descended that far down as to _deign_ to shop for what I need myself?_

As the idea grew and became more palatable the more he thought on it, he realized that he was entertaining the idea of shopping himself, in person, and not in a magic market to boot. He sighed, dropped his feet from the cushioned footstool to the carpeted floor and pushed himself out of the soft arm chair. Summoning his staff to his hand, he walked out of his study just as Dalamar was walking up the stairs, spell book and research notes in hand. "Shalafi?"

"I'm going out for awhile, probably a few hours," answered Raistlin. "Do you have any questions before I leave?"

"Are you coming back?"

"Of course I'm coming back! What part of the 'I'll be back in a few hours' didn't you understand?" snapped Raistlin, then calmed himself down. "Now, other than that really, truly idiotic question from a normally intelligent person, I would hope, is there anything else?"

Dalamar shook his head, listening to his teacher grumble all the way down the spiral stairs.

* * *

Raistlin sat down for the sixth time in an hour, leaning his head back as he did so. He ignored the stares of the people as he allowed himself to catch his breath. Opening one eye he looked over to see a road side café and walked over to sit at a table, leaning the Staff of Magius on one shoulder as he did so. A waitress came by and asked, "Can I get you anything....?"

He caught the trailing off and looked up, cursing his own eyesight as he did so. But he could definitely see that he had been recognized.

Again.

"Tea will be fine," he answered in his usual quiet manner, trying, for once in his life since the Test to be as gentle as possible.

She all but ran off after he had given her his order. If it hadn't been too undignified of him, he would have allowed his head to hit the table in frustration. A few moments later she brought him a small teapot, a delicate cup and saucer before retreating with the two steel pieces he managed to put in her hands. From the stammered, and surprised, "Thank you!" he got he gathered that the cost of the tea was half what he had just paid and that he had given her a rather sizable tip.

He took a breath, released it, then began to pour his tea after giving it some time to steep. Sipping it slowly as the sun had only reached its zenith for the noon hour, he decided that even if he didn't find any books, or one good one, he would consider his outing a relaxing getaway for the day. One, he found to his surprise, that he had needed to give himself a chance to relax for once.

As he sipped his tea, finished the first cup, poured the much stronger second, Raistlin watched the passerby on the street around him. The only thing lacking was something as light as the day to read as he drank his tea in his own leisure.

Unfortunately, his leisure was broken when a young Knight of the Crown took offense of him being there in daylight. "You there!"

For a moment Raistlin didn't respond, thinking that perhaps a kender or some other sort of disturbance had caught his attention. That was soon clearly not the case when the Solamnic Knight walked up to his table and towered over him, "I said, you there."

"Me?" he said in vague surprise. "And what can I do for you, Sir Knight?"

"By Paladine, it is irreprehensible that you would have the gall to walk among decent folk, calm as you please, as if it were normal!" fumed the Knight. "I should take you to the captain for disturbing the peace and ensorcelling these decent folk!"

Raistlin lifted one snowy eyebrow as he looked up at the Knight, who paled when he realized that it just wasn't any Black Robe, but Raistlin Majere himself, the Master of the Tower in Palanthas. "How is it that drinking tea at midday is disturbing the peace? My only regret is that I have not found something good to read while drinking my tea," pointed out Raistlin, trying to be reasonable. "I paid for my tea, like any other citizen. All I ask is to be left in peace so that I can enjoy my day off."

There, he had said it. It was his _day off_, even if he had called it that himself and walked from his own tower. The Knight crinkled his brows, clearly puzzled, and looked about to argue when the generously tipped waitress spoke up, "It's true, he just came in for tea!"

The Knight looked from the waitress, to Raistlin, back to the waitress, then looked at Raistlin, "Can you do that?"

* * *

A few hours later, Raistlin found himself, finally, outside a book store. Taking a moment to gather his thoughts again, he pushed the door open and walked in. He breathed in the smell of books and began to walk around, somewhat aimlessly at first, as he tried to figure out what exactly he was looking for.

He had to admit that it had been a very long time since he didn't know exactly what he was looking for in a book store. For awhile he simply was content to wander while taking a book from a shelf, looking at it before returning it back to the shelf. He did this for about fifteen minutes before someone caught on that he was in the store.

A young man walked around the corner, "Can I help you find anything... ah... oh... gee, it's an honor to have you in my father's store."

Raistlin quirked one eyebrow. _I've been getting a lot of that reaction today_... he mused. "I'm fine, thank you," he answered quietly, hoping the boy would get the clue.

He did, and went back to the counter. Raistlin sighed again while continuing to meander and look over the books. One caught his eye and he tugged the slim journal out of the place where it had been carefully placed. He opened the cover, then closed it with a sigh. It was precisely what he thought it was, the travel journal of the Miiro.

Years ago, before his Test, he had voraciously hunted down every single copy of the journals he could get his hands on. It had been the only thing he and his brother could agree on when it came to reading material. At that point in their lives, it had been believed that the Miiro was a mythical person, neither male nor female, unaging as they traveled Krynn and wrote down what they saw and the adventures they had. Caramon always imagined this Miiro being a tall man and a warrior. Raistlin, on the other hand, had always held a certain fantasy that it was a woman from the flowing and neat script. Shortly after his Test, when his eyes saw things age and die, it had been one he continued to cling to like a drowning man to the last bit of floating debris...

Caramon and he still had always read the journals as once they began to travel they had found a few more tucked in old libraries.

Then it had happened; Raistlin had been kidnapped by a woman, and taken as far and as fast as horses could carry them from Caramon. At first he had railed against her until he found out, quite by accident, that this woman was the Miiro. Even he had to smile sometimes at how precisely he had come by it... when he had knocked over her packsack and discovered an unfinished copy of her journal... in that same flowing and neat script.

He began to read what was in his hands, in that Palanthas book store, and a small smile graced his lips upon seeing his own name in the print. He stood there for hours, lost in thought, then looked up as he closed the journal. Raistlin hesitated a moment as the older owner, the father of the boy who had greeted him, came over, "Ah, a journal of the Miiro. Some say it is the latest out, or one of the more recent additions."

"Have you read it?" asked Raistlin.

"Yes, I have," answered the man. "And judging your face, so have you. Or perhaps, you simply remember the events in it?"

Raistlin turned to glare at the man, who visibly paled, and the man said, "Or perhaps it simply a kender tale."

Raistlin slid the travel journal back into its place, "It's no kender tale."

With that he left the store and a very astonished storekeeper.

* * *

He sighed as he heard the ringing of the bells as he pushed the gate open. Like he had walked out of the Shoikan Grove, he walked back through it, choosing not to simply teleport into his Tower. It gave him time to think and perhaps refocus himself. The past was often a sore subject with him and the reminder of past failures even more so.

But even he could not have been prepared to walk into the past and into one very huge and glaring error that he had made.

He should have walked away.

However he could freely admit that the temptation of that much power had lured him in like a moth to a flame even as he convinced himself that he could use that power for good. Raistlin sighed again as one sliver of momentary doubt crept into his mind.

What if he was walking that same path, deluding himself that he was after the power to right the wrongs that he had been subjected to? What if, in the name of justice, he was simply overreaching and wishing for what no mortal should have?

He shook those circular thoughts from his mind and walked into his Tower and never looked back.

* * *

To all those who wished Lord Terrance and I happiness in our marriage:

I have a bit of an update on that...

Unfortunately, we were unable to marry as intended because the Justice of the Peace who was supposed to officiate pulled out at the last second because of a scheduling problem. Mainly, he had to judge a murder trail at the same time he was supposed to marry Andrew and I. Don't worry, we still intend on marrying, and the paperwork is all done, we just have to wait on another date.

Thank you to everyone who not only reviewed, but emailed their best wishes.


End file.
